servafandomcom-20200215-history
Gianni Athanasios
Gianni Athanasios was the first and only security officer of Rho Aquilae, and the first Supreme Commander of the successor state, the Giannist Hierarchy, which bears his name. He was born to Greco-Italian descended parents, a newly settled family on Vyrgeith. His mother held a somewhat important status on the early colony, holding the title of chief of communications, while his father was no less busy engaging with merchants and leading survey operations to explore more of the planet's surface. Between the two demanding jobs, Gianni's parents were absent for most of his childhood, and he found himself often taking to the streets or the wilderness for his own amusement. As there are relatively few children on a new space colony, this was a lonely endeavor. At a young age Gianni gravitated towards the military, as the local FFEL garrison had just arrived in response to severe wildlife threats. During this time Gianni met the FFEL soldier who would become like a father to him - certainly more attentive than his real one, a trooper who took pity on the boy and tolerated his presence enough to answer his slew of questions about army life. This left quite an impression on the young Gianni, who as an adolescent began to consider a military career of his own. To him, it meant protecting others and ensuring the peace. As galactic affairs demanded the presence of FFEL troops elsewhere, the garrison was scheduled for redeployment to participate in a new war of expansion against an Uhara warlord. Rather than be left with the boredom and drudgery of his home life, as he got older and his parents asked him to take on more and more responsibilities, Gianni begged the troops to let him come along. The soldiers warned him - it would be long and boring if not deadly. Gianni insisted, and eventually got his way. He unofficially had enlisted as an FFEL cadet at the age of 19, and would undergo training upon arrival at Testaca. Almost immediately Gianni came to regret his impulsive decision - he never would have thought he would miss his family, be he had never even said goodbye to them nor told them what he was doing. Soon enough the realities the soldiers had warned him about also came to be - interstellar travel was long and dull, and the novelty of swimming in zero-g wore off quickly. It was just as, if not even more boring than his previous life had been. To kill time Gianni rekindled his old pastime - reading - and took to the starship's modest library. At first he read for knowledge, hoping to bolster his career, but after some time he would take a few fantasy books for amusement as well. Before long however, he was reading solely for pleasure. By the time the ship arrived at Testaca after about four and a half months, Gianni had read most of what interested him, and a little of what didn't. He expected touching solid ground again and walking to be some cure for his severe homesickness, but this expectation was defeated quickly when he realized that Testaca was a treeless world with a constant downpour of acid rain. Even walking felt completely different. During his time on the ship however Gianni had gotten a grasp of basic military formalities and even got his hands on a proper uniform. He reported to muster and indicated that he was ready (and eager) for training and to join a squad and fight the Uhara. The officers staged a small ceremony to commemorate the fact that he was the first (and to this day, the only on record) FFEL soldier to enlist from Vyrgeith, and assigned him to a squad of fellow Greeks, hoping he might fit in well enough. Gianni's generally introverted lifestyle however made this difficult, and despite demonstrating his keen attitude towards learning the trade of soldiering, most of his superiors doubted he would ever make a leadership position. This would prove to be no challenge to Gianni, however, as he would soon find himself graduating top of his class in the Oroian Espatiers and participating in numerous secret raids on Al-Serva, acquiring over 400 confirmed kills. Category:Characters